New Hunger Games prequel delves into the origin story of President Snow

I just want to know that somebody still cared about me that I was still of value welcome to the capital you look like you shouldn’t be here I shouldn’t but I’m your Mentor a rebel scenes from the new Hunger Games movie The Ballad of songbirds and snakes

Focused on a familiar character we just saw there the eventual dictator of penm Cory Ela snow lots of excitement about this so we are very excited to see Eli in studio again this Friday welcome back H thank you thank you this is a prequel a prel

So how far back do we go to start but 60 years so this is just 10 years after all the horrible destruction that had affected the capital and the world and so this is a capital where you see cranes are still in the sky like they’re just beginning to rebuild just have had

Nine other Hunger Games so they’re about to celebrate the 10th annual Hunger gam so the decor like it’s a little bit of a different look production design you can see it there I mean it’s kind of Harry Potter England meets like Soviet Russia 1930s lots of concrete lots of big

Statues lots of cars that look like the 1950s version of the future and just like the novel by Susanne Collins that this is based on this film is really about the early years of this guy he fought very hard in the games Miss everine but they were games would you

Like to be in a real war very nice to see Donald settle in even in the Snow White Beard there now that is the president snow that we know but this is about before he was the president before he was the iron fisted ruler what made him exactly it was young Cory elanus

Cory elanus had a father who was a big part of the capital big part of pan but he died and now it’s just him his sister his grandmother they are barely scraping by they are cutting out parts of their bathroom tiles to make it look like he

Has the finest clothes but he can barely fit in but that is his motivation to compete in these games because he needs money he needs to survive if he can win he will actually get a scholarship and be able to continue his studies so even though at this point this snow has

Questions about the games is n sure that we should be doing this with the the volunteers from the other districts but he’s going to win because he needs to put food on the table and so he is going to figure out a way to work with the person that he’s mentoring and that

Would be Lucy Gray from District 9 and you know they’re going to have to find a way to work together let’s watch welcome to the capital you look like you shouldn’t be here I shouldn’t but I’m your Mentor a rebel I am going to get you out of

Here so we got Tom blle as the young cor elanus then we have Rachel zler you might remember her from the new Westside Story now remember of course Jennifer Lawrence I mean the Hunger Games did a lot of her career catness and she had that kind of you know rebellious spirit

And very much this character Lucy from District 12 has that same kind of Scrappy kind of Dolly Parton sense of defiance bit of a lil in her voice when she weeks and of course when the games begin a little bit of singing but mostly about sing we’ll get there we’ll get

There got a little treat for you but mostly survival okay so if it’s mostly survival um I was remembering I think it was the third of the film you talked to me then about the incredible action footage and the combat I mean is that also a Hallmark of this

One it’s I would not say that’s the greatest strength of this and like the action is fine and you still have the ethical quandry of like forcing these you know basically children and teens to survive but because this is a younger capital and because the Coliseum where they’re actually battling has already

Been struck by an attack you’ve got a lot of teens running around with very limited weapons and hiding in pipes and scrub running over rocks so it’s it’s fine but the real Firepower to me the surprise is actually not the action but the acting Tom blle as the young Cory

Elan it’s a really interesting portrayal especially since we know where this is going you get someone who is smart who is kind of ethically ambiguous and you get a sense that because he doesn’t have the connections he doesn’t have the money he is going to do what he needs to

Do to get ahead and then you have Rachel uh as Lucy who has that Spitfire Spirit like District 12 was always a little bit country right but now it’s practically the Appalachians and now let’s get to the music because I think her superpower her Talent as Lucy is when needed she

Does belt it out and well just take a listen take my my humor you take My not too shabby it’s pretty good A and they did a lot of work on the music to really try and make it reflect the area and the culture of where she’s from I think of Oh Brother Where Art that think of how much music that movie sold and

How it like introduced a whole new generation to Americana I wonder if genen Z are going to like gravitate towards Bluegrass because there’s some Wonder this is almost Hunger Games the musical cuz there are a number of times like that is her thing that is kind of

Her trick that is her talent and she’s got a talent she should use it and she does now I enjoy what Tom and Rachel are doing as their characters but if you want to talk about real like scene chewing acting with a capital A let’s get to some of the big names in

This cast first we got Peter Dinklage as Dean cassa High bottom and his performance is about as subtle as that name but that is just a warmup for the one the only Viola Davis as the mad scientist of the capital and she is going big take a look I am Dr volia GA

Your humble head game in charge of the war department and all its Affiliated concerns big performance big wig just big everything like she’s just like she’s going for it I also want to shout out Jason schwarzman I remember Stanley tuci so he was the host of the games

Right Caesar flickerman so Jason Plays his distant relative lucky flickerman part-time weatherman part-time magician but also the host of The Hunger Games and a total so the sport cast sounds really really good too so just for the Dolly Parton reference and the music I’m giving it an extra half star in my mind

Okay let’s pause the graphics here’s Eli’s number they’re very nice look at that three and a half how come how come so here’s what happens first two parts of this film is split into three chapters I’m there I had no expectations the world doesn’t need a Hunger Games

Prequel so I’m pleasantly surprised it’s I like what they’re doing with Coro but the problem is this is like making a movie with young Darth Vader you know what’s going to happen at the end and in the last 30 minutes of this film all that careful work building up the

Ambiguity building up the complexity out the window forget about it takes this wrenching turn as he becomes the anti-hero we always knew he would be and it was miserable I sitting there in my chair going is it still no another 20 watching no it’s still there just really

Brutal so I fully recommend the first two3 of this film and the last 30 minutes I don’t know what to tell you bring a nightlight in a book it’s uh not the best okay well three and a half for the first two3 that’s pretty good thank

You see you next week in theaters this weekend you want to protect people and it’s essential to accept what human beings are what it takes to control them

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells the origin story of Coriolanus Snow, the future president of Panem.
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